


Collide

by AmbrosiaRho



Category: Angel: the Series, Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminal Minds Setting, Angels, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Multi, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-17
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 18:54:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1480408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbrosiaRho/pseuds/AmbrosiaRho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU are in LA working when Reid accidentally witnesses an event in a graveyard. He is taken to a hotel were a group tries to figure out that to do with him. One of them happens to be a vampire slayer. Faith Lehane. Faith takes it upon herself to release the boy on the promise that he stays away. But Reid doesn't stay away. Now the two teams must work together to fight the forces of darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I am rewriting this story and re-uploading the new chapters back on here. So if the story seems familiar it is likely that you read the story the first time around.
> 
>  
> 
> Angel:
> 
> This story takes place after the events in the episodes Orpheus in season 4 of Angel. With a few exceptions, Cordy is not pregnant, and Conner is not around. Also a certain relation doesn't happen, as Fred chooses the other guy. 
> 
>  
> 
> Criminal Minds:
> 
> The time line for this show takes place probably before season 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy my Criminal Minds and Angel cross-over. All reviews and comments are welcome.

Thunder boomed in the distance as the sky darkened, threatening the storm that was to come. Reid looked worried as he glanced out the window. This storm could pose a problem for them. It could wash away all the evidence from the newest crime scene. Of course at the rate they were going it wouldn't’ really matter. So far he and his team had been unable to find any clues as to who the killer was. Cause of death was the only information they had, and it was complete blood loss. Yet the only markings left on the deceased were two small holes on their necks. This unsub wasn’t even consistent with the kills they were making. The never stuck to any one race, gender, age, and even sexuality. So it wasn’t like they could build a profile off of that. At least not a very clear one.

After seeing lightning light up the sky he turned away from the window and focused on his team. The BAU. Behavior Analysts Unit. They were some of the best and brightest, but yet this case was proving extremely difficult.

Glancing at his watch he noticed it was getting late. It was likely that they were going to head back to their hotel here soon. WIth the storm coming in there was nothing left out there they could do. They might as well call it a night and come back with fresh eyes tomorrow.

As soon as he thought that he heard Hotchner, the team leader, echo his thoughts almost exactly. A small smile tugged on his lips at the thought of Hotchner reading his mind. Like such things were possible. His said goodbye to the other as he gathered his things. But as he found himself looking out the window once more he for a moment thought he saw red dots, almost like eyes, staring at him before lightning light up the sky again and it was gone. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

Shaking his head briefly he finished gathering his things and made his way out the door of the police station.


	2. Chapter 1

Faith paced back and forth in front of Angel and Wesley, practically bouncing off the walls with energy. There had never had this much trouble getting to the bottom of a case. Especially not when it came to vampires. Or vampire. Really it was hard to tell if this was just one hungry son of a bitch or a nest that was running about feeding off of people left and right.

Stopping she sighed and looked at both the boys. She opened her mouth to say something was but stopped by the sound of Cordelia calling to them from the other room. Closing her mouth she followed them into the other room to see Cordy standing in front of the TV. On the news was a blonde woman standing before some reporters.

“What’s going on?” Faith asked.

“Listen and find out,” Cordy replied turning the volume up some more.

A low growl emanated from Faith’s throat, but she stopped when she saw Angel give her a look. Pushing her anger aside she focused on the TV and what the girl was saying. Which actually didn’t last long. The only thing Faith heard from the entire news press was that the woman in question was with the FBI.

“So the FBi is here because...why?”

“Looks like the local police called them in to help them figure out what is going on with all these vampire killings,” Wesley explained.

“Don’t you have a understanding with that one cop chick?”

“Yes, but if her bosses decided to bring in the FBI there is no helping that. We will have to be careful with how we handle the case from here on out. No unnecessary patrols, or anything like that. We can’t risk being seen,” Angel said.

“Great, more cops. That is all we need,” Faith grumbled.

“Well not all of us have to worry about that, as some of us aren’t criminals,” Cordy said flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Faith took a step forward, clenching her fist, which erupted in flames. Something that originally freaked everyone out when it first happen, but now bothered no one. Though she could tell Cordy still tried to walk on eggshells around her, as she didn’t like the idea that the universe gave a slayer turned rogue, a murderer another way to kill people. But she knew she was always safe with Angel near as he was somehow gifted with the power opposite of her’s: ice.

“How about I show you exactly how I got that criminal record.”

Cordelia stepped back in fear, but before anything could happen Angel stepped between them as Wesley spoke up.

“Ladies, let’s not fight. We need to focus. Faith is right to worry about the FBI being in town. Like Angel said before we risk exposing ourselves if we are not careful. All of us. Faith this means not drawing attention to yourself...” Wesley started.

“Ha!” Cordy interrupted with a smug look on her face.

“And Cordelia, please, no more getting captured,” Angel finished.

This time it was Faith’s turn to snort and look smug. “Yea Queen C, the whole damsel in distress thing is so last century.”

Before Cordy could offer a quick retort Angel grabbed Faith’s arm and pull her out of the room.

“Damn Angel, I would say get a grip, but you have a pretty good grip already.”

“Sorry.” He let go of her arm. “Faith, look. I know you love nothing more to to antagonize Cordelia, but we got more important stuff to worry about and we don't need the added stress of you two going at it all the time.”

“I love how you are so not giving her highness this same lecture.”

“Actually Wesley is talking to her as we speak. My point is. I want you to take the night off. Blow off some steam, in a way that doesn’t involve violence I hope.”

“Well I can’t make any promises there... But I will try my best to be a good little slayer. Scouts honor.” She heard a noise behind her so Faith turned around to see Cordy and Wes walking up.

“Scout my ass,” Cordy sneered.

Faith took a step forward, but stopped when Wes cleared his throat.

“Uh Faith, before you go I would like to have a word.”

Faith rolled her eyes and sighed. They seemed to be focusing on her with this news of the FBI in town didn’t they. Oh well. It was to be expected, she was a former killer after all. God forbid they trust her or anything. Turning on her heels she bounded towards the stairs before taking them two at a time in her pursuit to get to her room faster.

After taking a shower, drying off, getting changed and applying her usual make up Faith slowly made her way back down the steps into the lobby of the hotel. To her luck Wes was also walking into the lobby so she didn’t have to search for him. Once she hit the bottom of the steps she stopped.

“Whatcha need Wes?” she asked as she rock back and forth on the balls of her feet.


	3. Chapter 2

Wesley was making his way through the lobby when Faith’s voice caught his attention. He looked up from the book he was currently looking over to see her standing at the base of the stair case. Before he could even stop himself his eyes scanned over her body. Taking in the tight black leather pants that hugged her long legs perfectly. And the maroon corset that accented her curves just enough that it was sexy, but not too much that it was trashy. Topped with her normal dark eye-shadow and harlot lick-stick. A color that he only knew because it was originally Cordy’s but yet it always found it’s way into Faith’s makeup kit. And the amount of times he heard the two girls arguing over it was too many to count. 

Outfits like this were normal for Faith, but yet every time he saw her dressed like this he was always taken back by how breathtaking she was. He wished she saw herself the way that he and the others saw her, and not the way other men, and some women, saw her. Not that he was so pure in his thoughts of her sometimes, but to him she was more than a beacon of sex. She had grown into a strong and beautiful woman, and he so regretted how he handled things as her watcher. If he could take it all back he would. But he could not. So he would do everything he could to make up for it now. Which was why he wanted to speak with her before she left.

By the time his eyes finally focused on her face he noticed that she was grinning.

“What?”

He watched as she took a step closer to him, wondering what she was up to. 

“Like what you see?” she asked in a sultry voice. 

She then leaned in close, to whisper in his ear. He could feel her hot breath tickle his ear and it sent shivers down his spine. 

“Maybe you and I should go upstairs and I’ll teach  _ you  _ a few things...”

He gulped before his mind snapped back to reality. He took her hands in his before he took a step away from her, letting her hands fall. This was what he meant. She couldn’t get it out of her head that she was nothing more than just someone to be used for sex to most of them. It felt like the only person she didn’t act this way towards was Angel. He shook his head.

“No Faith, that is not what I wanted to talk to you about.” 

To which she pouted before crossing her arms over her chest. Something that amused him, the reason, he wasn’t sure though. Maybe because it reminded him of something a child would do, and was therefore something out of character for her.

“I got you a cell phone. Even if you don't use it we would prefer if you kept it on, that way if you end up in danger we can track you.” He held a phone out for her to take.

She seemed to look it over before raising an eyebrow. “So in other words you’re putting a collar on me?”

He sighed. “No, of course not. It’s for your protection.”

“Look Wes, I am a big slayer now. I can take care of myself.”

“Yes, I agree. But still. Please.”

She seemed to roll her eyes at him before snatching the phone out of his hand. After shoving it in her pocket she smirked at him again. 

“You know you really need to relax. Like I said before, I could teach you a few things, help you out with that built up stress.” She winked at him.

Without missing a beat he responded. “Yes, well I am sure I could show  _ you  _ a few things too Faith.” He groaned internally as her eyes lit up.

“Oh yea?” She tried to step closer again, but he held his hand up.

“Have fun out there,” he said before continuing on the direction he had been going moments before. Missing the pout that had once again formed on Faith’s lips.


	4. Chapter 3

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Faith moved her body to the beat of the music. Different hands roamed her body, and she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting lost in it all, in the moment. For in the moment she was just a girl. She wasn’t a slayer, or a criminal, or anything like that. Just a girl dancing in a club. 

After a while she decided to take a break from the dance floor and so she made her way over to a table to take a breather. She wasn’t over there long when she noticed two men approaching her. Such things were not unnatural, but something about these two seemed off to her. Her eyes quickly scanned them to see if she could pick anything up, and boy did she.

The male on the right was Caucasian, a bit on the pale side. He had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. A tad skinny in frame, but he had good height to him. He had this kind of nerd, geekiness to him, that was hot at the same time. It remind her of Xander. She could tell he felt out of place here in the club.

The other was African-American. Very handsome. He didn’t have hair, but he eyes were also brown. He was taller than the other man, but not by much. On the other hand he was certainly more muscular than his friend. He had a bit of a Verdi going on, but it was more of a stubble then the full on thing. She then noticed the gun and badge that both boys were carrying. 

_ ‘Shit,’ _ she thought. She wondered if these guys were with the FBI. The chances were high, but then again it wasn’t like Faith knew  _ all  _ the cops in town. Just a good handful of them.

Before she really had time to processes all this she felt a very familiar prickle run up her spine. She turned in the direction of the feeling and noticed a man was walking towards an exit with a woman. She narrowed her eyes at them slightly. It had to be a vampire. 

Weighing the options in her mind she decided that despite what Angel and Wes said (and the fact that two possible FBI agents were currently standing in front of her) she wasn’t going to let that vampire kill that girl. So she flashed the boys a smile and made her way in the direction she had seen the vampire go. She just hoped she wouldn’t come to regret this later. 

As Faith emerged out the door she found they were in an alley. A dead end alley to be exact. So the only way out was through the door she was standing in front of. This could pose a problem with helping the girl escape, but it would offer her help with keeping the vampire in the area.

Not wanting to doddle too much more she moved quickly, hitting the vampire on the back with the pool stick she had grabbed from a table on the way out the door. To her luck the impact startled the vampire, causing him to let the girl go before he turned to her. 

“Slayer,” the vampire growled.

“Tonight is your lucky night leech. If you tell me what I want to know, I may just let you live long enough to see the sun rise.”

“Mm, so tempting. But how about I tell you nothing,  _ and _ I kill you.”

“Oh please. Bring. It. On.”

The vampire just growled in response. 

Thankfully the girl was smart enough to choose this time to run for the door. As the vampire tried to grab her Faith landed a swift and strong kick to his chest. He stumbled back, and Faith was greeted by the beautiful sound of the door slamming behind the girl. 

The vampire wasted no time in charging towards her, slamming her into the door. Faith gasp as the knob hit her right in the lumbar area, causing her to drop to her knees, and his hand to connect with the door in her place. Quickly rolling to the side Faith jumped up, ignoring the pain in her back. She caught the punch that was aimed at her jaw, but missed the one that hit her in the ribs. 

Using the arm she had a hold of she threw the vampire into the wall before grabbing his hair and slamming his face into the brick. She was about to repeat the process but his elbow caught her in the jaw. Taking a few steps back she quickly wiped the blood from her lip before following through with a right hook to his temple. Dropping down she swept her leg out, knocking the vampire to the ground. Quickly jumping on his chest she took a right hook to her jaw before she got his arms pinned down. 

“Now tell me what you know!” she screamed at him.

“I’d rather die.” Was the only response she got.

“That can be arranged.”

The vampire took that moment to headbutt her before shoving her off of him. She rolled to her feet in time to block a punch, to which she returned it with a backhand. Her roundhouse kick sent the vampire into the wall, as she ascended onto him he landed a kick to her chest, sending her back into the other wall. They both pushed off the wall at the same time to hear voice on the other side of the door. Reacting quickly Faith slammed her hand into the nose of the vampire before picking up the broken pool stick she had long dropped and shove it into the vampire's heart. 

As he turned to dust she jumped up onto the dumpster and onto the wall that closed the alley off before the door was thrown open. She hid in the shadows watching as the two possible FBI agents she had brushed off to come out here entered the alley. She watched as they looked around, apparently looking for someone. Had the girl gone to him in her moment of escape. She wouldn’t blame her, but it made things difficult for her. She racked her mind real fast to make sure she hadn’t said or done anything to give herself away while the girl had still been present in the alley. She didn’t think so. 

She was brought back the present as she noticed skinny boy looking in her direction. Shit. Could he see her? Not wanting to take the chance she jumped down to the other side of the wall before running in the direction the Hyperion Hotel was. 


	5. Chapter 4

Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid had been assigned some of LA clubs to see if they could gather information about the killings. So far they had come up short. Nobody had any helpful information. In Reid was surprised how many people were still at these clubs when in JJ press release she had asked people to be more cautious where they hang out. Since they didn’t have any real leads on the killer it was hard to say where he was finding their victims. For all, they knew they could be hunting at clubs. But yet here everyone was. Acting like everything was just fine.

It amazed Reid to see people act this way. But he couldn’t do anything about that. The only thing he could do was to bring the killer to justice. As they made their way through the club Reid noticed a girl that seemed to be the center of attention on the dance floor. He couldn’t much see her since the lights were kind of low, but she seemed very beautiful. He was pulled from his thoughts though as Morgan walked up to a few girls and started asking them questions. After a couple minutes of that, they left the girls with the same amount of information as before. Which wasn’t much? 

“Hey, check out that mama,” Morgan said nudging him.

Reid turned in the direction of the girl in question. She was alone and she at one of the little table. He couldn’t be sure, but she looked like the girl that had been on the dance floor. If she was then he was right in his first assessment. She was very beautiful. She had light brown hair and golden brown eyes to match. Her skin was olive in color, it reminded him of Rossi. Her outfit didn’t leave too much to the imagination, in fact, he almost felt guilty for looking at her.

“Let’s go see if she knows anything.” 

Reid just nodded in agreement before they both started making their way over to her.  But they never even got the chance to ask her anything. In fact, she seemed to notice them before her attention was drawn elsewhere. Before they could even make it to her table she was gone. Reid could almost see the disappointment on Morgans' face. But he covered it quickly. It wasn’t long before they were moving on to another group of people to question. 

They went about doing that for who knows how long when a girl went running through the club. Morgan was able to track her down and they learned that she had been lead out into an alley by a guy she met here tonight for him to try and attack her. She was able to get away due to another girl stopping the guy by hitting him with a pool stick. After getting the girl to calm down and making sure she was okay Reid got the girl to tell them which door she had originally gone out. 

After she showed them they called Hotchner to let him know what was going on, then they headed to where the girl had indicated.  When they got close to the door they thought they heard fighting. But when they opened it they saw no one. However, there was a broken pool stick laying on the ground. 

"Well, I don't see anyone. Do you?" Morgan asked. 

"No, maybe she got the wrong door."

"Either that or he booked it as soon as she escaped. `Cause there is no other way out of here besides past us." 

Reid had a strange feeling that someone was watching them so he looked up to the top of the wall and swore he saw a figure balancing on the top of the wall, hiding in the shadows. Before he could say anything to Morgan the figure jumped down on the other side. 

Was someone really up there or was his mind playing tricks on him? The wall was quite tall. Probably 10 feet or more. So it wasn't possible for just any ol person to scale the wall. Then how... 

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned to see Morgan staring at him.

"Come on, we need to get back. The dude is long gone. We will probably have better luck finding him tomorrow."

As they started to walk back into the club Reid thought about what the girl had said. She had said she got free because another girl had hit their attacker. Another girl. Hadn't the girl Morgan had zoned in on gone... in this direction? Had she been the one to save the victim? And if so why didn’t she also stick around to talk to them. Tell them about the gentleman, to help catch him. 

Of course with his mind swirling with all these thoughts his mind couldn’t help but to go back to the fact that he could have sworn he saw someone on the wall. Could it be possible... No. No way. But whether he believed that or not the fact remind that that was going to be something he kept to himself. Until he got more information anyway.


	6. Chapter 5

Faith walked up the stairs to the Hyperion, her body buzzing with energy from the fight. It hadn’t been as satisfying as she had hoped it would be. Of course, that might be because she had been interrupted.  She was sure if she had been giving some time with the vamp she would have been able to get answers out of him. But she should have known that the girl would have ran to the cops. I mean they were already at the club. It made sense. It just made things less fun for her.

Sighing she shoved open the doors and walked through them before pausing. A quick scan with her slayer sense told her that Angel was out. She had to wonder where he was but then decided that trying to figure it out would be a waste of her energy. So she went to the next best thing. Their little workout space.

When she moved in it was quickly realized they the need for a gym would come in handy. It would allow her to train and workout while staying here and not having to worry about a real gym and all that entailed.

As she made her to their gym she noticed the lack of Wes and Cordy as well. Everyone must have gone out when she had. At least she assumed that that was what was going on. She doubted they would take a case without informing her. Especially now that she had her handy dandy dog collar. It wasn’t like they couldn’t find her if they needed.

Shrugging it off she changed from her current outfit to one more suitable for working out. A black sports bra and shorts. Making sure she had plenty of water she went to work on the punching bag.

Hours later she was still working out, only having stopped every now and then to take a drink. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t hear Wesley walking into the room until she almost knocked him out with a backhand.

“Woah!” He jumped back. “Faith, it’s just me.”

“Shit, sorry Wes. Don’t sneak up on me like that. I was ready to attack.”

“It’s okay. You are right. I should have been more careful. I just was surprised to see you back here.”

“Yea well,” she sighed. “A vamp ruined my night. Managed to get the stake in him when his would-be victim showed up with those FBI people.” When she saw him open his mouth she held her hand up. “No, they didn’t see anything. I was gone by the time they opened the door. Our secret is still safe.” She grabbed her water and took a drink of it then. “So where is Angel and Queen C?”

“Angel went to Loren’s Bar. I believe Cordelia said she had some shopping she _needed_ to do.”

Faith gave a small chuckle as she stretched. “I have a feeling needed is not being used the same way that, say someone like you, might use it here.”

“You would be correct.”

She just shook her head. She raised her arms over her head to stretch, but as she did so she noticed Wesley shift, causing her to roll her eyes. Even after all this time, he didn’t want to be alone with her. Clearly, he still didn’t trust her, and he wasn’t alone. It was clear Cordy still resented her, but that wasn’t something that Faith lost sleep over. “Alright, well sorry to burst your nerd alone time with the books, but I promise I will be a good little slayer and stay quiet.”

“Faith...”

“Hey, I get it. If it wasn’t for the FBI I would still be out there, but I am not. Sorry if that is such an inconvenience for you,” she snapped.

“Faith...” he started to say again, but like before she just cut him off.

“Save it, Wes. I get it. Big bad Faith. Rogue slayer, murderer. Can’t be trusted right?” She turned away from him. She had to admit, she'd hoped by this point that he wouldn't be so distrusting still. Guess she was wrong. She was so tired of this. Was it so wrong to want to be treated like an equal? To be wanted in general, instead of just being here for a tool for them to use and keep an eye on. Growling deep in her throat she put her full strength into a roundhouse kick directed at the punching bag. She ended up hitting it so hard that the bag broke off the chain and land a few feet away.

“Faith look at me!”

Came Wesley’s voice from behind her. So he hadn’t left. Surprising.

“Faith...” he said in a warning voice.

She finally turned to him then. “What?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“You are stupid you know that?”

“Say what?” She was shocked. Wesley had grown since he had been her watcher, she knew that. She saw how he was with the others. But he had never spoken to her any differently, so this was surprising to her.

“You are smart, observant. That is probably one of the things that make you so strong. I understand why you would think the way I am acting is because I still don't trust you. That is not true. I have trusted you for a long time now. I have been distant because of the feelings I have for you. I hate to say it, but I have stopped seeing you as my slayer. You are above all that now. You don’t need a watcher anymore. But in the process, I can’t seem to help but see you as the woman you are. And I would never want to jeopardize all the growing you have done.”

Faith was bewildered by what she was hearing. The only thing her mind could grab onto was the fact that Wes had started this off by calling her stupid, then proceeded to say she was smart.  

“Hold up, how can I be stupid and smart?”

A small chuckle came from Wesley’s lips. “You’re right Faith. I am sorry. I should never have called you stupid. My apologies.”  He placed his hand on his heart and gave a slight bow. “I have taken enough of your time. I will let you get back to your workout. Remind Angel and I to fix the bag later.” He turned on his heels to walk away.

“Wait!” Faith shouted stopping him.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does contain sex, if you don't want to read that just skip the chapter.

Faith mind was spinning. This was a new Wesley, a different Wesley. Or at least new to her. She wasn’t sure what she should say, but she felt like she should say or do something. That was when her mind shut off and her body acted on his own. She walked over to him and pulled Wesley into a deep, passionate kiss. After a few minutes they broke the kiss, Wesley was a tad bit breathless, something that made Faith smirk. 

“I think it’s time you let me teach you a few things.”

“Faith...”

But she cut him short by pressing her mouth to his. She entered his mouth with her tongue, stroking against his. Faith pulled Wesley down on top of her, not once breaking the kiss. She then rolled them over so she was on top. Their bodies began to move together, mimicking the sex act. For once there was no rush, they took it slowly. Undressing each other with care.

She ran her hands up and down his sides, and he felt the heat in him go nuclear, especially as she slipped one arm between their bodies, her palm heading south. When she hit his lower belly, his erection pulsed with the desperate need to be touched. But he stopped her hand and withdrew it.

“Let me show you how it's done.” He said. He then stopped any protest she may have had by kissing her again.

Wesley treated her with care. Every touch was soft and gentle, every kiss unhurried. Even when his tongue was in her mouth and his hand between her legs, he was in control of himself. When he rolled them over again and parted her thighs she was ready for him. He settled his weight on her comfortably and that hard part of him burned her core as it brushed against her. Wesley propped himself up on his arms and started down into her eyes. Her hand ran up his ribs feeling the bones under his skin. She closed her eyes, feeling his body moving on top of her, inside of her. On instinct, she arched, and her hips came back to level. He moved his hips back then forward, pushing into her. Faith moaned as he did it over and over again, slowly, though, not rushed or savagely like it had been with others. With every push and pull, she was getting hotter. And so was he. In no time, his slick skin went fever-baked and he began to breathe in short sucks of air.

His hand went between their bodies, and he started with a wicked, licking touch while keeping with the slow pump. As they got closer to releasing his rhythm became more urgent, the distance of the thrusts getting tighter, the speed increasing. Deep inside she felt his erection kicking, felt hot liquid shoot into her own spasms that shook their whole body.

He collapsed onto her, damp, overheated, gasping. His muscles twitching all over. They were both gasping. 

Faith laid there a mixture of emotions going through her. She had never done it like that before, most of the time it was rushed and aggressive. That was slow and kinda romantic. She felt relaxed now that she worked off her energy, but she also felt panicked. It might have been because anymore when she did this it was with a stranger, not someone she spent her day to day time with, or if it was just because it was Wesley himself. Either way, she had to get as far away as possible. She started hitting and shoving at his chest until he finally moved off her. Once he did she jumped up, grabbed her clothes, and left the room. 


	8. Chapter 7

Faith stood under the hot flowing water of the shower. Now that she had time to reflect on what happened she realized what a mistake she had made. But she had acted based on his words, she hadn’t thought about what she was doing. Normally she would worry that this would cause Wes to think he could get some from her whenever he wanted, or that this meant something to her. But she knew Wes was smart enough not to think either of those things. not when it came to her anyway. Maybe she could pretend like this didn’t happen. It would probably be better if they did just that anyway. Mostly for Wesley sake than her own. He had a chance at happily ever after with someone. She didn’t. 

Getting out of the shower she felt the familiar prickle up her spine, letting her know that Angel was likely back home. Guess now was a good time as any to face the music. She would have to talk to Angel anyway about the vampire she ran into. So drying off quickly she threw some clothes on and made her way down the stairs. When she got there she noticed Angel was already talking to Wes. 

“What are you doing back here?” Angel asked her.

“Good to see you too Angel. “

“Sorry. That isn’t what I meant..” But then he paused. 

Faith wondered why he paused when she noticed his nostrils flare before he looked at Wes, and then her. Before she knew it he had a tight grip on her elbow and he was practically dragging her into another room. 

“Again with the grip man.”

“Faith what are you...”

“The FBI showed up at the club I was at. I managed to dodge them when I noticed a vampire with a girl. I followed them and saved the girl. I tried to get some information from him, but it was no luck. Unfortunately, the girl went to them, but I got the vamp staked and was out of sight before they even showed up. So  I came back. Wesley showed up. We talked, one thing led to another. We’re both adults. What is the big deal?”

“First off I am glad you are okay. Clearly, you can handle things on that front very well. Though please do be careful with the FBI around. And yes you are both consenting adults, but it can’t happen again. We don’t need the added...”

“What? Drama? Were you going to say drama? Listen, dead boy! You don’t know... you just don’t know okay!” Deciding she had enough of this she made her way to the doors, fully intending to leave the hotel for the night.

“Where are you going?”

“Prot...” But then she remembered that she couldn’t do that. Growling she turned on her heels and made her way back to the gym. But when she got down there she froze. What was she going to do now? The punching bag was dead, most of the other training required a second person, and sadly Gunn was still on assignment with Fred. Sighing in defeat she slid down the wall and just looked at the spot that not moments before she had been having sex with Wes. 

Why couldn’t her weird random hidden power be something more useful? Like time travel. Of course, if she truly had that power the odds were she would go back so much to fix things that she would probably screw up...something.  

* * *

 

Angel watched as Faith walked back towards the gym. He felt bad. He hadn't meant for it to sound like he was personally scolding her. In all honesty, he didn't care what those two did. Though if he was a betting man he would have guessed that it would have been Gunn based on the way that those two talked to each other. 

Then again this may be good for Faith and Wesley.  Maybe it will help their relationship some. Get them over what happened in the past. 

He had half a mind to follow her into the gym if nothing else to clear the air that he wasn’t really scolding her, just that she had a bit of a bad timing choosing now to lay with Wesley. 

“Angel it wasn’t her fault, it was mine.” came Wesley voice from behind him. 

“It isn’t any body’s fault. At the same time, she could have said no.”

“I do believe that the word no is not present in her vocabulary, or at least when it comes to that certain topic.”

Angel hated to agree with Wesley’s comment, but at the same time, he knew Faith. As a slayer, she had grown tremendously, but as a woman, she still had work to do. She still believed that if she couldn’t control a man with her fist she had to use her body. That most men were untrustworthy, and that deep down the only thing anybody wanted her for was sex. It was hard for her to accept that fact that, maybe with the exception of Cordelia, everyone here really did see her as an equal. Or in the cases of Gunn and Fred more of another leader, someone they could look to for orders during missions, among other things.  

“I am worried, though, I am afraid I have broken her trust or at least gave her the wrong impression of what I want from her. I feel as if I should apologize, but at the same time logic dictates that if I do that she will assume I regret what we did.”

“Do you?”

“No, not the act itself, but as I’ve said...” but he cut off before he finished.

“Personally I would leave her be for a while before you talk to her, give her time to cool down. Right now she’s feeling caged.”

“Yes, that has worried me since we found out the FBI was in town. Keeping Faith here has to be killing her.”

“It’s like caging a wolf.” With that Angel walked out of the room and made his way to where he knew Faith to be, he knew that if anyone could cool her down at the moment it could be him. He honestly was just glad Cordy was out for the night, for the worst thing than caging a wolf is putting a deer in the cage with it, but not allowing it to kill the deer. But as he got closer to the gym he heard the not too familiar sound of Faith’s breathy laugh. The sound alone caused him to pause. As someone that lived life on both sides of the fence, he knew he would gladly give everything up, just to see someone like Faith have an actual happy life. He would prefer one without the worry of vampires and demons out to kill her, but he would settle for her being happy in this world. If Buffy and the others were allowed it then so should Faith. 

Angel was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Gunn’s deep voice mumble something followed by more laughter. Okay so maybe he was wrong, maybe there were a few other people that could unwind Faith. He was actually glad he didn’t have to be the one, for part of the reason she was pissed to begin with, was because of him. He hadn’t been too thrilled with his idea of sparing with her, just because he knew the damage that might happen in its place, but at the same time, he had been willing to take the chance. Smiling to himself he turned back the way he had come, this time making his way to him room for the night.


	9. Chapter 8

Reid laid on the bed at the hotel the team was staying at, going over the events of the night in his mind. Things weren’t adding up. The girl had been so sure her attacker and the woman that had saved had been out the door that lead to a dead end alley of sorts, but yet when he and Morgan had arrived no one was to be found. In fact, the only evidence that anybody may or may not have been there was a broken pool stick, but honestly, that could have been left behind a long time ago. The whole thing was bothering him. Sure there was a chance that both the attacker and the woman that had saved the girl had managed to make their way back into the club before they got to the door, but the odds were low. 

Sighing he sat up and glanced at a clock. It was well past 2 in the morning. He knew he should sleep, for they had another long day, if not weeks ahead of them with this case, but he just couldn’t get his mind to stop. Figuring some fresh air could be good for him he grabbed his FBI issued gun and badge and hotel room key before heading out of the room. 

After taking the elevator to the lobby he made his way outside to the slightly humid LA air. He had half a mind to hail a cab but realized that it might be better walking instead. Not to mention he had no destination in mind, he just wanted to clear his mind. So picking a direction he started walking. He was grateful that the weather was in his favor tonight. Not that he could see the stars in the busy city of LA, but he was glad there wasn’t a cloud in sight. 

He weaved his way through the streets, taking in everything Los Angeles had to offer. He had to admit he was surprised at how even in the middle of the night how alive the city was. Vendors still littered the streets selling their goods, performers sang, or played music, for tips. In fact, it was almost like the city was more alive at night than during the daytime. Something that wasn’t uncommon in big cities, but even then it seemed the degree for which it was still booming matched by the likes of Vegas. 

Of course, Reid was in downtown LA, he only hoped that the more suburban parts were less lively. Which after some time walking was where he found himself, in the more outskirts of LA. The parts that housed houses with white picket fences, school, churches, and graveyards. 

He found himself walking past one of the graveyards when he heard a woman’s scream a short distance away. Reacting quickly he pulled out his gun and slowly made his way to where he was sure the scream had come from. One part of him knew the logical thing would be to do would be to call for backup, in case this was more than what he could handle, but another part of him told him that if he took the time to call he might be too late. And he didn’t want to risk that.

When he got to the location the scream had originated from the scene before him left him speechless. There were about four men, but something was wrong with their faces. He couldn’t quite tell from the distance he was at, but he knew they did not look normal. They also appeared to have lost hold over a couple of teenage girls, likely the source of the screams, due to being engaged in a fight with a woman. 

However, they were not the main source of concern for Reid. For it was the other two... well frankly he wasn’t sure what to call them. They weren’t men, at least not in the human sense of the word. Which was an odd realization for him? But he knew what he saw with his eyes. Those creatures were not human in any way. It was tall in height, probably a good 6 feet or more. Their...skin, if you could even call it that. It looked more like hardened lava or cracked stone. Whatever it was it was dark in color, likely black or a dark gray. They also had horns on either side of their head and their eyes glowed red. The rest of their features were slightly more human. They had normal nose, mouth, and ears. Five fingers on each hand, but they had talons versus nails. If he had to guess that they were anything, he would guess that they were demons. But he knew demons did not exist. 

Of course, the next set of events might prove him otherwise. The teenagers had long escaped so it was down to the deformed men, the demon looking things, and the girl fighting them. And now that he was focusing a bit more on the girl in question he realized she had been the one at the club that had gotten away before Morgan and himself could question her. He was completely memorized by her movements. She was faster, faster than anyone he knew, and her skills. She could probably take on some of the best in the military and win. Before his mind could wrap around that, however, the girl shoved what looked to be a piece of wood into the chest of one of the deformed men, causing him to turn to dust. 

Reid’s mind froze after that. Had he just witnessed a murder? At the same time, it seemed like the girl had acted to save the teenagers. Plus how would he explain any of this to his team or even local P.D. especially the part where the guy turned to dust. And it hadn’t been like he had been on fire or anything, the guy just turned to dust. ‘After she stabbed him with a piece of wood.’ he thought to himself. 

He was pulled from his thoughts though as he heard the sound of a body crashing through something solid. He shook his hand and noticed the girl was down to fighting one of the two demon lookings things. She was currently laying on the ground, surrounded by a broken statue. It also appeared she was having trouble getting up, and the creature was moving fast towards her despite its large size. So thinking quickly he did the only thing he could think of. He raised his gun and opened fire. He didn’t remember what happened much after that as he was quickly hit by something, knocking him unconscious. 


	10. Chapter 9

Angel was upstairs in his room, it was nothing special. Like all the other rooms in the hotel, other than the fact that the few windows were boarded up. But it held the same maroon colored walls, hardwood floors, a bed of various size and a dresser. 

In fact, it was a little bit sad to know that despite having been in the hotel for some time now none of them had really made the place their home. Other than the weapons and research books and few personal belongings they hotel was very much impersonal. At the same time, it was easy to see why this was. Angel himself was a man out of time as it were. Honestly other than Cordelia and maybe Wesley everyone here either lived the kind of life that moving around was normal or they didn’t exactly fit in with the current world. 

His focus was brought back to the present as the familiar sensation of Faith moving about the hotel caught his attention. Normally it wouldn’t be something he concerned himself with, however, given the mood Faith had been in not a few hours before, and knowing her like he did, he had a sinking feeling she was going to do something he wouldn’t fully approve. Of course, he was right. As he made his way out of his room he looked down into the lobby just in time to see Faith sneaking out the doors into the night. He had half a mind to go after her, but he knew that wouldn’t do. Not to mention he wasn’t her babysitter, and Faith was fully capable of taking care of herself. He just hoped that whatever it was she is planning on doing, she wouldn’t get caught.

Shaking his head he made his way back into his room. Even if he wasn’t to go after her the feeling in his gut, not to mention the time, told him that dawn was a few hours away. And sure he could catch up to her, but trying to talk her into coming back, without setting her off again, that was a different story. 

Giving in he figured now was a good of a time as any to call it a night. Grabbing his mug and a bag of blood from the mini fridge he kept in his room he made himself a cup of blood before grabbing a book and settling down on his bed.

* * *

 

Wesley was currently spending what he did most evenings that they had nothing going on, trying to figure out how to a slayer and vampire cursed with a soul developed powers beyond what was normal for their race. Not to mention the fact that Angel’s power over ice was an almost perfect rivalry to Faith’s control over fire. It was in all honesty quite brilliant. It certainly helped as far as keeping one or the other from losing too much control, provided they were within range of each other. 

On the other hand, however, the source of where these gifts came from would be much-needed information. For he knew that you never get something for nothing, especially in the realm of supernatural. Everyone at the Hyperion had worked really hard to get to where they were right now, in more than just their lives. He would really hate to see something that might cause them to lose Faith again, or even worse, would bring about Angelus, because of these gifts. 

Unfortunately, he had been coming up short in all his research. He even tried to expand on the lore surrounding Slayers, but he got nothing there. Nowhere in the history of Slayers, and most vampires, had there ever been a case of either being able to possess control over the elements without the help of a spell or the like. 

With his frustration growing he set the book he was currently reading down before rubbing the bridge of his nose, an action that both Faith and Cordy referred to as “The Giles”. Name for the man who had perfected it, apparently, and Faith’s former, albeit temporary, watcher, Rupert Giles.  With his eyes closed and his mind slowly winding down he was able to hear the faint noise of someone trying very carefully to sneak through the hotel. He opened his eyes in time to see Faith sliding out the doors into the night. 

Wes stood up from his chair, with every intention of following her, but once he was on his feet he paused. As much as he would like to stop her he knew deep down that that would only make the situation worse. He just hoped, that no matter what she was doing out there, she was careful. Not just for the sake of the team with the FBI running about. But also for her own sake. With that thought, he picked up the book he had been reading and sat back down.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I forgot to post last month I figured I would be extra nice and give you 2 chapters this month! Yay!!!

Faith had almost given up working out until Gunn had shown up, but now that they were done training for the night she still felt a little buzzed. Most of her energy had been dealt with in one form or another, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed out be out on patrol tonight. So after a very much needed second shower, she quickly dressed for just that. She knew Angel had retired to his room for the rest of the evening, in preparation for the incoming dawn. Another with Gunn, tired from his mission with Fred. Fred though likely wasn't asleep, no she was probably still up researching or something. Cordy was likely to back at this point so the only person she possible risked running into was Wesley, but if he wasn’t in bed he likely had his nose in a book and wouldn’t notice her even if she danced naked in front of him. Though in light of recent events, that was likely not a good idea anyway. As she made her way down the stairs she kept a watchful eye out for him, and anyone else, just in case. Once she hit the bottom step she paused a moment, one last effort to ensure that she wasn’t going to get caught, before making a mad dash for the door. Opening it only wide enough to fit through she slid into the night without a second glance.

* * *

 

Faith had expected to find something on patrol, what she didn’t expect to find was a group of vampires, working together with two, well she wasn’t sure what kind of demons they were, that was usually Wes and Angel territory. Going after a group of teenagers. Acting quickly Faith tackled one of the vampires that were closest to her. They rolled a short distance before both of them jumped to their feet at the same time. She didn’t waste any time trying to ask this one questions, she just went straight into action. She landed a roundhouse kick to the vampires head, the problem was there was more than one vampire. The vampire she kicked barely had time to react before she was grabbed from behind by another. She headbutted the one behind her before flipping it over and driving a stake through its heart. But she was caught by surprise as a boot caught her in the jaw sending her to the ground. She managed to roll away as the same boot came stomping down where her head had been moments before. Jumping up she blocked another kick, this one aimed at her ribs before she followed through with a backhand. 

She quickly dusted that vampire before getting her bearings a little bit. A good portion of the vampires had run off, most likely the ones that had figured out exactly who she was. The demons, however, she couldn’t see them, but she had a feeling they were still lurking. Being pulled from her thoughts as she barely dodged a blade slicing in front of her face she turned her focus to the vampire at hand. Lucky for her the fucker had a sword. Not only would it help against the rest of the vamps, but also the big bad demons as well. The problem was getting it away from the blood sucker without getting sliced. She jumped back as another sliced was aimed at her. Now was not the time to be in her head. She needed to act. Her life could very well depend on it. 

For the most part, she just did her best to keep out of the way of the blade, but when she saw an opening she took it to attack with a swift kick or punch to the vampire. Her efforts were paid off when the vampire went in for a jab. She spun away but grabbed the vampire's arm in the process.

“Big mistake,” she hissed before slamming her hand into the vampires elbow breaking it. Once his grip was loose from the sword she pulled it from his hand before taking his head off. As that vampire turned to dust she spun around to face the other one that was left. But she didn’t get the chance to dust it or any other remaining vampire, because, as she suspected, one of the two demons had been lingering and choose that moment to backhand her. 

Faith went flying before she crashed down into a statue. Gasping for air she rolled to her side and tried to reach the sword that had been knocked from her hands during the fall. She really didn’t expect the bastard to have that hard of a hit. The pain that shot through her body, mainly her ribs, let her know that a few bones had been broken, not to mention the damage to her jaw alone. She would be seeing stars for a week she was sure of it. 

Unfortunately for her, the demon wasn’t only strong but fast. Before she could crawl her way to the sword the demon was above her, she braced herself for the impact that would very well kill her when the familiar bang of a gun sounded in the distance. She looked to her right in time to see someone get knocked out by demon number two. 

Normally Faith would worry about her new found damsel, but she was smart and took the demons distraction as a chance to grab the sword and roll away from the one towering over her. In order for her to have any chance to save the person that just may have bought her her life, she needed to first kill the things threatening both their lives. 

Once on her feet, she realized that her demon had turned his focus from her to where the gunshots had come from, cursing to herself she raced after the demon. When she got within range she jumped up on his back and swung the sword around its throat. She then used all her strength to chop its head off. Both head and she went flying, lucky for her though she landed on her feet. However, that was about as lucky as she was going to get. As the other demon, the one she had momentarily forgotten about, kicked her in the chest. 

Faith landed several feet away, only this time she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to get up. The kick alone broke more ribs than when she had fallen into the statute, not to mention she had landed pretty hard. Before she could even attempt at getting up the demon was grabbing her by her throat. 

She did everything she could to get the thing to let her go, but she was already hurt pretty good and she was losing consciousness fast. As darkness surrounded her vision she faintly heard shouting in the distance. She was then aware of her body hitting the ground before she passed out.

 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, SOOO sorry this is 3 months late. I discovered a somewhat serious health problem in July and so trying to figure out and deal with that has taken up a lot of my life, while still trying to maintain things like a normal work schedule. I hope you can all forgive me. 
> 
> I am also sad to say that I will probably continue to be slow on updating, I hope you can all forgive me for that as well.

“Yo, Angel man, we got a human over here,” Gunn shouted from a distance as Angel lifted Faith into his arms bridal style. 

If he could breathe he would have given an exasperated sigh in that moment as he looked down on the raven-haired slayer that he almost just lost. 

“What trouble are you getting into now?” he whispered softly to her. Not that she was in any position to answer him. “Any I.D. ?” That one directed at Gunn as he walked over to where they had parked the car.

In all honesty, Angel didn’t care what kind of trouble Faith might be in, in regards to the human. As he knew if Gunn and himself had been a moment too late they would have lost their slayer for good. He was also glad that sun up was far enough away that he was able to accompany Gunn on this rescue mission, without worrying about getting fried. Though for safety reason he would be spending the car ride back to the hotel under a blanket. 

He faintly heard Gunn say “Let me check,” as she was putting Faith into the back seat of the car. He paused before climbing onto the floor as she heard cursing. 

“He’s one of those FBI you were telling Fred and me about.” 

Angel’s eyes shifted to Faith. Okay, so maybe he did care about what other trouble she may have gotten into out here.

“One thing. The one thing both Wesley and I asked you... what am I even talking to you for? You can’t hear me,” he grumbled. “Bring him with us!”

He had half a moment to contemplate how much of a bad idea that was, but the sun was rising and it would be better for everyone if they got back to the hotel shortly. 

“I would argue, but you are the boss. Not to mention I know my girl needs to get back to the hotel so she can heal.” 

“She’ll need more than that.” Angel very uncomfortably climbed onto the floor of the car before Gunn thrown the blanket on him. He then heard Gunn get behind the wheel before starting the engine.

“That bad huh.”

“Even now, her heart. If she was a vampire the fix would be simple, some blood, nights rest.”

“Yeah, but she has that whole Slayer healing right?”

“Slayer healing can only do so much. After the fight with Buffy, it still took her 3 months just to wake up.” He paused for a moment and took in Gunn’s demeanor. He knew what he was trying to get at here, but at the end of the day, Faith’s injuries were bad. He was already worried as it was, but at the same time, he didn’t have to let Gunn worry. “But you are right. Faith is tough, I’m sure most of this is just surface damage.”

It wasn’t long before he felt the car stop. Normally Angel himself would have taken the time to get Faith out and carry her into the hotel, but he didn’t have the luxury this time. His time was already out. He had to use the blanket just to get into the Hotel, he couldn’t risk accidentally hurting Faith even more, not to mention what would happen to him if the blanket fell. 

Once inside he removed the blanket and moved over to grab a cup of blood. By the time he had it warmed up and turned around Gunn was already inside with Faith and taking her up to her room. Angel was about ready to follow when Wesley, Cordy, Fred, and to his surprise Lorne showed up. Likely all wanting to know what happened. Especially since the reason they had been sent out, to begin with, had been because Cordy had had a vision about Faith possibly getting killed. He should probably talk to him, while he had them all in one place. 

“She’s alive.”

“Oh, thank god.” That was Fred. 

“But she is badly injured. It will take a while for her to heal.”

“I will get the first aid kit,” Wesley said before walking away. Angel only nodded his acknowledgment. He didn’t have to say anything. It was their only option, other than taking her to the hospital. Which if they could help it they weren’t going to do. No matter how rough he believed Faith to be he would never take her to a hospital, for he knew how much she was afraid of them after everything that had happened. So that’s why Wesley was now going up with the kit. That and if anything was too serious he would hopefully be able to figure out and see if there was a rub or potions or something they could brew up to help fix it. 

“Being down someone like Faith will hurt us, especially right now. But we will make do. We always do. I would like to ask that for the next few days that any visitations should be kept short, and sweet. And I do mean sweet.” He gave a pointed look to Cordelia, who just tossed her hands up in the air. “And on top of everything else, whether we have a case or not. We are to not, and I repeat, not tell Faith about it.”

He only half listened as the girls complained about his last request. He was about ready to speak up when he saw Gunn heading back outside. He briefly wondered what that was about. But decided not to worry about it now. 

“Listen! We all know Faith. If she even gets the slightest hint that we have a case she will insist on working with us. Now if she is a bad as I think she is she won't be of much help to us for a while. So please, please try our hardest not to breathe a word around her. Okay?” They both nodded. “Thank you. Now...” but he trailed off as he saw Gunn coming back in with another body in his arms. Shit. Angel had forgotten about the FBI agent that had also been at the graveyard. The one that he had told Gunn to bring along with them. Which he was trying to rack his brain to see if he could remember why he had made that decision.

“What do you want me to do with the Fred?”

“Stick him in a chair and tie him up, until we know what he saw. Hopefully, we can figure it out before he wakes up.”

“Will do, man. 

Before Angel could ponder anything else too much more Wesley came down the stairs, nodding his head to the side. He nodded back before walking over to speak with him.


	13. Chapter 12

As Faith slowly gained consciousness the first thing she felt was the pain. Masses amount of pain. Before she could even process what was hurting the most she felt something cold on her neck, more importantly, she felt someone’s hand on her neck. As panicked seized up in her, making her heart race and her breath catch in her throat, she reacted. Without even opening her eyes she smacked the hand away before sending out a powerhouse kick into whoever was standing above her. She heard the familiar crash of a body landing on something wooden as it broke beneath the weight. It was then that she opened her eyes to see where she was and what had gone on. She was surprised to find that she was in her own room at the Hyperion. She tried to sit up, but pain shot through her ribs causing her to fall back and groan in pain. 

“What’s going on? Where is it?” Wesley asked as he stormed in carrying a sword. Angel not far behind him.

“Wha...” was all she was able to croak out before the pain in her throat stopped her. She carefully brought her hand up to lightly rub her throat, but when she did she felt a paste-like substance on her neck.

“Try not to rub too much of it off. It’s there to help heal you,” Lorne said as Wesley helped him up from her floor, and more importantly her broken table. 

At this point Faith just closed her eyes and relaxed as much as she could back into her bed. But it was hard to find any form of comfort when the majority of your body hurt. She did notice that the discomfort in her neck and throat was slowly going away over time, however, that made it to where she could feel the other pains all the more. Like her jaw, now that her neck was on the med she was very aware of the pain in her jaw, honestly, she was surprised it wasn’t broken. Probably the only reason it wasn't was because she was a slayer. Built to take hard hits like that.. If she had just been human, well she either would be dead or wouldn’t be able to eat solid food for... forever. But hell even with being super girl she was still going to be black and blue for a long time coming.

“Lorne, can you tell us what happened here?” Angel asked as he sat on the bed next to Faith. 

Even with her eyes closed, Faith could tell that much. For one the bed gave way under his weight. Another she knew that there were three people in the room, beside herself. Two of them were at the end of the bed. That’s where their heartbeats were. Which was also easy enough to distinguish as Lorne’s heartbeat was a ... little bit different than humans, to say the least. So that left only one person in the room to be the one sitting next to her. But that didn’t stop her from opening her eyes and looking at him anyway.

“Try not to talk or move too much, you’re throat got crushed pretty good,” he whispered.

“It’s all my fault, really,” Lorne started. “I was putting the rub on her throat, to help the healing process. When I guess she came to. She likely felt my hand on her throat and panic. That’s when she kicked me and I crashed into the table,” he paused for a moment and looked at her. “It’s okay cupcake, I still love you.” He gave her a nod before walking out the door.

Faith grimaced at the words. She hated those words, and everyone knew it. But for some reason, they still try to throw them her way every once in awhile. Lorne especially. She wasn’t sure why they did it. Maybe they were hoping one day she would say it back. But she never would.

Faith tried to shake her head but realized that wasn’t a good idea. So she glanced at Wesley as he was setting the sword, figuring he probably wasn’t going to need it now, that there wasn’t a threat. She looked to Angel again, hoping he could read that was in her eyes.

“I guess you want to know how happened?” When she softly shook her head yes he continued. “Well for starters Wes and I knew you snuck out, but decided not to stop you. We figured you could use the release, and that you  _ wouldn’t  _ get into trouble.” He gave her a pointed look but kept on going. “I guess we just forgot about it, but then Cordelia had a vision. She saw the vampires and the demons. More importantly, she saw the demon standing above you with its ax or sword or whatever. Then she saw blood splatter. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put those pieces together.”

Faith sat there thinking about that. Had that demon had a weapon of some sort? She didn’t recall seeing one, but the thing had done some pretty good damage in the few seconds she had paid attention to it. To be fair, when it was standing above her she had closed her eyes and prepared herself for death, so her brain must have picked up on a weapon at some point, even when she herself didn’t.

“Angel, the guy Wesley brought in is waking up,” Fred said as she peaked her head into the door. “Oh Faith, you’re awake too. Good, I was getting worried. Oh! I bought you something... well Gunn picked it out actually...” Fred kept on rambling but at that point, Faith had tuned her out. 

They brought the kid here? Why? Sure he had saved her ass by shooting the demon, but the team didn’t know that. So why? She had to get to the bottom of this. She tried to sit up again, but pain shot through her body just as bad as before. 

“Faith? What are you...?” But she shot him a glare that shut him up real quick. Trying her best to breathe through the pain, which was really difficult when you had several broken ribs, she managed to get herself off the bed. Of course, she wasn’t lucky enough to stay on her feet long. She was caught before she hit the bed, not much surprise there. What was a surprise, however, was the person that caught her. It wasn’t Angel like she would have thought, oh no. It was Wesley. He tried leading back to her bed, but she just pushed him away. 

She heard Angel say something behind her, and she chose to ignore him. She knew they were trying to stop her, to keep her in bed. But she couldn’t just lay up there while the kid that saved her was downstairs.


End file.
